Ethiopian Airlines plane crashes

The following are significant events involving the airline or its subsidiares. The numbered events are those involving at least one airline passenger death where the aircraft flight had a direct or indirect role, and where at least one of the dead passengers was not a stowaway, hijacker, or saboteur. Only events since 1970 are included.

10 September 1972; Ethiopian Airlines Douglas DC3; ET-ABQ; en route to Gondar, Ethiopia: The aircraft, which was on a scheduled domestic flight from Axum to Gondar, Ethiopia, and crashed about 35 minutes after takeoff after the right wing separated from the fuselage. ingested numerous pigeons into both engines during takeoff. One engine lost thrust almost immediately and the second lost thrust during the emergency return to the airport, leading the crew to execute a wheels-up landing. All three crew members and eight passengers were killed.



1. 15 September 1988; Ethiopian Airlines 737-200; ET-AJA; flight 604; Bahar Dar, Ethiopia: The aircraft, which was on a scheduled domestic flight from Bahar Dar to Asmara, ingested numerous pigeons into both engines during takeoff. One engine lost thrust almost immediately and the second lost thrust during the emergency return to the airport, leading the crew to execute a wheels-up landing. As a result of the crash landing, all six crew members survived, but 35 of the 98 passengers were killed.
   Other no engine flight events
   Other 737 plane crashes
   
   12 March 1993; Ethiopian Airlines ATR 42-300; Dire Dawa, Ethiopia: The aircraft departed a scheduled domestic flight from Gambela to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia when four hijackers attempted to force the crew to fly to Djibouti. The crew landed at Dire Dawa to refuel, where Ethiopian authorities began negotiating with the hijackers. After six days of negotiations, security forces attacked the aircraft and killed two of the hijackers. None of the four crew members or 26 passengers were killed during this event.
   Other ATR events

2. 23 November 1996; Ethiopian Airlines 767-200ER; near Moroni, Comoros Islands: The aircraft was on a flight from Ethiopia to Kenya when it was hijacked by at least two people. While attempting a landing near Moroni in the Comoros Islands the aircraft ran out of fuel and ditched near a beach. Ten of the 12 crew members and 117 of the 160 passengers were killed. The three hijackers apparently died.
   Other ditching events
   Other 767 plane crashes

3. 25 January 2010; Ethiopian Airlines 737-800; Flight 409; near Beirut, Lebanon: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Beirut, Lebanon to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff. All 82 passengers and eight crew members were killed.
   More information on this crash
   Other 737 plane crashes
   Initial AirSafeNews.com crash report
   
   12 July 2013; Ethiopian Airlines 787-8; ET-AOP; flight 1354; London Heathrow Airport: While the aircraft was parked, unoccupied, and unpowered, and overheating battery associated with the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) caused a fire in the upper part of the rear fuselage. The fire severely damaged the fuselage, but did not cause any injuries or deaths. The AAIB investigation did not determine whether the overheating was caused by a release of energy within the lithium-manganese dioxide batteries, or if was due to an external mechanism like an electrical short. This particular ELT was entirely independent of the aircraft's electrical power system. This event was significant because this model of ELT is used on a wide range of aircraft, and of the roughly 6,000 units produced by the manufacturer, this event was the first recorded instant of a significant thermal event.
   AAIB report on the battery fire event
   Safety implications of this kind of fire
   Other 787 safety events

4. 10 March 2019; Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8; ET-AVJ; flight ET302; near Ejere, Ethiopia: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Nairobi, Kenya. Shortly after takeoff, the flight crew reportedly declared an emergency shortly after takeoff, stating that they had unreliable airspeed indications and had difficulties controlling the aircraft. The crew was agranted a request to return to the departure airport, but the aircraft crashed about six minutes after departure. All eight crew members and 149 passengers were killed.
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